Taipei: Taiwan's Go ace and Asian Games gold medalist Hsu Hao-hung was named both "Mr. Popular" and the MVP in the sport in 2025 at an annual awards ceremony in Taipei on Friday.

According to Focus Taiwan, in a public vote, Hsu won 151 of 630 votes (32.5 percent) to narrowly defeat 9-dan professional Hsiao Cheng-hao for the most popular player award. He dominated the MVP race -- voted on exclusively by professional players -- with 57.9 percent of the vote, while Hsiao finished second with 15.8 percent.

Hsu expressed mixed feelings about his accolades, stating, "I actually felt a little bit of regret winning these awards because I didn't think my performance this year was my best," highlighting a tendency to lose concentration during the later phases of matches. Despite his self-criticism, Hsu remained the top earner in Taiwanese Go for the seventh consecutive year.

In 2025, Hsu earned NT$4,942,500 (US$156,548) in prize money, nearly NT$2 million more than runner-up Lai Jyun-fu, even though he competed in only five of Taiwan's eight major Go tournaments, winning four. However, he faced challenges when competing against stronger opponents in World Cup events and in top league tournaments in China and South Korea.

Unlike the previous two years, Hsu will have to compete in overseas qualifiers in 2026, as he will not automatically qualify for top-tier international tournaments. He viewed this extra challenge positively, stating, "The qualifiers feel less stressful and allow me to enjoy the competitive atmosphere more."

Meanwhile, 9-dan pro Wang Yuan-jyun was recognized for achieving the most victories in Taiwan in 2025, totaling 53 wins -- just one more than Lai. Additionally, Cheng Yu-hao, a 13-year-old who turned professional in 2023, was voted Rookie of the Year by his peers. Eligibility for this award is restricted to players who turned pro after 2021.